Performance - the affordable and fun-to-drive kind of performance - has returned to the Dodge Neon lineup. The Neon was completely redesigned and re-engineered last year and the result is a roomier, more refined compact four-door sedan.

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2001 Neon Great Compact Car.

Review by no_eyes1

May, 31 2007

Pros: Great looks and performance.

Cons: Definitely a compact car, from behind the front seats.

Great little car. The 2001 Dodge Neon is a great car for someone that drives a lot, but doesnt have much luggage. I owned a Neon for a while and quite enjoyed it. It is a great looking car, and it performs well.

The car has a 2.0 liter four cylinder engine. The one I had had an automatic transmission. I had no problems at all with the car. It had no mechanical problems and drove well. Something that I like about the car is that it is designed for someone who wants to do the maintenance. My friend who used to work for Dodge had made a comment that Dodge had taken into consideration that with the Neon being a lower priced vehicle, that many of the people that would buy a car like this would be people that would do their own personal maintenance. They designed it with that in mind. Even though it is a small car, with not a whole lot of room under the hood, it is easy to maintain. I love this fact. From changing the oil, to the spark plugs and wires, it was easy to do without leaving the skin from my knuckle on various parts under the hood. I was very impressed with the gas mileage that it got as well. I probably averaged around 35 MPG, but at times got up to 37 or 38 MPG on road trips. That is great. The engine is just a four cylinder, yet provides the get up and go that you need. It is no muscle car by any means, but it has pep.

It was a fun car to drive. It handled very well. I have a cabin up in the mountains. The highway up to the cabin is one that I love to drive, especially in a car that handles as well as this one does. The road follows the contour of the mountain, and has many curves. The car handled superbly, and made it even more fun to drive. The front seats are comfortable for the longest of trips. The rear seat, on the other hand, is not the same story. There is almost no legroom at all in the back. So if you have anyone with any need for legroom at all, the shortest trip can be very uncomfortable. It did well for the car seat, but not much more than that. The trunk doesnt have a whole lot of space either. Dodge did redesign the hinges to the trunk, from earlier models. They moved the hinges out a little bit, which added some space, but it is still definitely a compact car. If that is what you are looking for, this will work well. If you are looking for something that is large and luxurious, then this isnt close to what you are looking for.

The car had some very good options to it. The CD player, and stock stereo worked great, with quality sound. I like power windows, and these never failed. One thing that was a little strange was that even though the front window were power, the rear were still manual. This I think would help with kids trying to play with buttons. It had power locks, and keyless entry. Another thing that I found out was that the chip in the key works well, as an anti-theft devise. When we first bought the car, we made a copy of the key, for a spare. We didnt realize that it had a chip in the key. When I went to go and start the car, it started and ran for about five seconds, and then shut itself off. This through me for a loop. It wouldnt start for another five or ten minutes then would do the same thing. I was getting really frustrated, then decided to try the original key. It worked just fine. That is when I realized about the anti theft chip in the key. To have the dealer make the key for you, that have the chip, is kind of expensive. It is around $100 per key. We just did without it.

All in all, I really like this car. We just were traveling too much, and needed more trunk space than what it provided, so it had to go. I would suggest this car to anyone looking for a reliable compact car. It looks great, and performs well. All I have to say is that it is definitely a small car, from behind the front seats. As long as you only plan on using the front seats, it will work great for you.